The Cheerk
is a strange-looking large worm, generally white or red, with two small pink
stripes running down its body. It is regarded as a pest by many throughout
Caelereth, as it will, with time, take all
the nutrients from the soil it inhabits. This is a result of the venom it
secretes from its double-forked tails, as well as the Cheerk's ravenous eating
habits. It is however, the staple diet for many creatures, and is necessary to
the ecosystem.

Appearance.
A Cheerk, to be simple, looks like the Tharian letter Y. It could also be
described as resembling the dwarven rune c,
which represents the CH sound. (The name itself is from the
Thergerim Taal; in the
original dwarven 'Cherk' or 'Liar',
interestingly enough!) The body is long and slender, splitting into two tails,
and the top body segment is the head, which is slightly thicker than the two
ends. The tails both have tiny, venomous tips. Although it is difficult to find
them, there are six small eyes, scattered randomly about the top of the head.
There is also a wide slit that forms the Cheerk's mouth.

Cheerks are about a fore and a half to a ped in length when fully grown. They
weigh about a quarter of an od. The skin is extremely moist and slippery; this
is believed to be some sort of defence mechanism, to stop anything that may harm
it from attaining a firm hold upon it. They are either a white colour, which is
more commonly seen, or a rarer red. Both types have pink stripes running down
both the sides.

Special Abilities.
The Cheerk is able to secrete a venom from the tip of its two tails. It uses
this secretion to kill the tiny insectoid paeth that reside within the soil. The
venom is also poisonous to elves,
humans and
dwarves, although not fatal. Strangely enough, no other species are affected
negatively. It is actually seen by some orcish
tribes as a medication - some are known to take Cheerk venom as a headache cure.

However, the venom has an unwanted effect that is an annoyance to any species –
it will kill nutrients within the soil. Coupled with the amazing appetite of a
Cheerk, as time passes by, the patch where it lives will become sterile and no
plant life will be able to grow there. It is easy to tell if a patch of soil has
been Cheerk-poisoned, as it will have a slight pinkish tone in contrast to the
brown, black, or tan of fertile soil around it. However, if the affected ground
is rid of Cheerks, then gradually the venom is diluted and washed away enabling
nutrients to return so plant life can thrive once more.

Territory.
The Cheerk can be found anywhere. As long as there is soil to live, Cheerk will
thrive. They prefer nutrient-rich ground, but soil that has previously been
affected by Cheerk poison and then recovered seems to be a particularly
attractive target for them. Thus farmers find it very difficult to get rid of a
Cheerk infestation, for no sooner has a field built up its strength than a new
wave of the pests attack it again.

Habitat/Behaviour.
The Cheerk live alone, simply eating, tunnelling, and surviving. If two meet,
they ignore each other and continue on their gustatory paths. They are not
territorial, and roam the soil of Caelereth
as they please. During damp conditions, such as rainy weather or flooding, they
must emerge from the earth or drown, and are often easy prey at such times.
Generally, however, they remain tunneling about a fore below the surface of the
ground, their holes filling naturally in behind them, thus loosening soil in
their vicinity.

Diet.
The Cheerk eat soil particles for nutrients. Unfortunately for
Santharian farmers, they tend to eat so
many that the soil becomes unsuitable for growing anything, since there is
nothing to sustain the plant. Also, as mentioned above, their venom causes the
soil to become sterile. They also digest tiny bugs within soil, which are known
as paeth.

Mating.
When a Cheerk feels it is time for mating, it will slowly make its way to one of
the several, small underground caverns that are made by Cheerk simply for the
purpose of reproducing. It could be some time before they find one, as they are
not stable; unsurprisingly they constantly cave in, being made only from loose
soil. Upon arrival the Cheerk will claim an area and start a strange waving
motion with its two tails, which it hopes will attract it a mate. It is
generally a female who seeks an impressive tail display from a male, not the
other way round.

When the partner is chosen, they couple by joining in the cloacal area at the
junction of the tails. After this, the female will leave with an egg pouch,
containing hundreds of eggs, attached between the tails. She will find a
suitable place amongst the soil to leave them and then continue with her life.
The young Cheerks, known as Cheerklins, are left to fend for themselves from
birth. It is because of this lack of care during their youth and growing,
coupled with the instinctive nature by many in
Caelereth to kill the Cheerks and the fact that they are so heavily preyed
upon, that only perhaps ten to twenty of the hundreds of eggs make it to life as
an adult.
Researchers.Although not a creature that you would think would be studied, there has
been many a researcher who has spent time studying the venom
of the Cheerk, to see its effects on living beings. What is of particular
interest also is how exactly the venom will rid the soil of nutrients, and also
how orcs find the venom beneficial, while
humans, elves
and dwarves become ill upon direct contact.

Usages.Although this creature is
poisonous to humans,
elves and
dwarves, it does have uses within other
sentient species. For example, orcs
have used the venom of a Cheerk as a headache cure, which is taken in a
rather unusual way. An interesting description of an outsider watching an
orc use Cheerk venom is given below:

"I
was astounded. One minute the orc was
complaining of a pounding headache, next she was down on her knees scrabbling in
the soil. She dug a large hole, and chanced upon one of those filthy Cheerks. I
fully expected her to bring down her large orc
foot and pound it into the ground, but, to my surprise, she picked it up.
My amazement was confirmed when she threw back her head, roared, and slashed
open a patch of skin on her brow with her blade-like nails. She grasped the
wiggling Cheerk firmly by the head and squeezed the venomous tips causing venom
to drip slowly onto the wound. She dropped the Cheerk, which I promptly
squashed, and spent a few minutes almost in a trance. Upon emerging from her
dazed state she proclaimed that all was better, and the headache was gone."

The
orcs also apply the venom to open wounds,
reasoning that it will kill any paeth that may reside,
which if left would cause infection.The Cheerk is
eaten by many species as part of their daily diet, the poison it secretes
are seemingly inconsequential to them.
The Cheerk is also favoured
by flying creatures, especially birds, who will often hunt them in damp weather.